instructs you updated February 12, 2005
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Pineapple Girl instructs you updated February 12, 2005 |
| Here are instructions (some with pictures!) for a few of the recipes or projects I talk about on my site, mixed in with some essays and screed. There are no pineapple recipes here, and I'm really sorry for you Google people -- but, I get so many hits for people looking for them that I'd be happy to start collecting them here! E-mail me if you have a good one! |
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A vodka Gibson, Pineapple-styleA Gibson is a martini, for all intents and purposes. I formerly didn't drink martinis in public, mostly between 1995-2000, when they returned en vogue, but am over that. (I am a reverse snob when it comes to cocktails. I refuse to be seen holding the "drink of the moment." I don't enjoy cosmopolitans, but wouldn't drink them if I did, and even the mojito I will make by the bucket at home but not order out in public. And anyway, cosmos and mojitos are both Over.). So, if you are a martini purist, then you will want a Gibson with gin -- and if you drank two gallons of gin over Spring Break one year in college and can't even stomach the smell of scented juniper lotion, then you will want vodka. In a reputable bar, you should specify a vodka Gibson, just as you should have to specify a vodka martini.
1. Fill the martini glass with ice and water, and set aside so the glass will chill. Skip this step if you don't need to be fancy and are going to drink it on the rocks in a DOF.
2. Put cocktail onions on the pick (as many as will fit) and set it aside.
3. Ice in the shaker, then three ounces of vodka in the shaker. Use big cubes of ice if possible, as they are less likely to create ice slivers in the drink after shaking.
3.5 (optional - if the Gibson is to be dirty, pour about a third of an ounce of the cocktail onion juice into the shaker also. Yummay.)
4. Shake vigorously.
5. Dump the ice and water from the glass, and spray it with a fine mist of vermouth. Or if no Misto, I pour in a bit of vermouth, swish it around the sides of the glass, then dump it.
6. Strain the vodka into the glass, and garnish with the onion-laden pick.
Serves 1.
The Perfect Tomato SandwichPretty strong claim, you might be thinking. But, I've been crazy for tomatoes since I was itty-bitty, never went through that whole "icky! slimy!" phase. Consequently, I've been making and eating tomato sandwiches for over 20 years. So, I think I can make a pretty safe declaration, at least based on experience.
Slice the tomato cross-wise, "thin but not too thin." By cross-wise, I mean that you turn it on its side to slice, so that you are getting the full diameter of the fruit. Remember that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Lay the tomato slices out on a folded paper towel to drain (this is the secret part -- the towel absorbs extraneous juice, which normally would just turn your bread pink and soggy); flip them over onto a dry section of towel after a couple of minutes.
Your white bread must be real live white bread -- no challah, no sourdough, no hoagie roll or wheat bread or other craziness. Think Mrs. Baird's or Wonder Bread. Smear both pieces liberally with mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip or other craziness). If you like a little tang, you can put some Durkee's on one piece of bread (not both, it overpowers the tomato). Lay your tomato slices on one piece, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Put the other slice on top and mash the sandwich ever-so-slightly.
Voila! The perfect tomato sandwich, which equals the perfect summer food.
Shrimp Etouffee
In Cajun cooking -- which is different from Creole, thankyouverymuch --étouffée (say "AY-too-fay" or "EH-too-fay") is a stew of vegetables including onion, celery and bell pepper, with rice and meat; the latter is usually a crustacean seafood (shrimp, crawfish, etc.). The word is derived from the French word for "smother." The base for any étouffée is the roux (say "roo"), a painstaking brown gravy of fat and flour. Do not trust those roux you can buy at the store... it's the equivalent of gravy in a jar: something just won't taste right.
In a deep skillet, melt the butter then stir in the flour gradually. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly -- the mixture mustn't burn! Let the roux cook to a rich nut-brown. Add the vegetables and cook until tender. Stir in the water, shrimp, parsley and seasonings. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until the shrimp are done, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice.
nota bene:
Roasted Garlic Bulbs on Baguettes
We eat this appetizer all the time at a favorite restaurant in Austin, NXNW. It sounds intimidating, but remember that cooking garlic removes its bite -- raw garlic is about 5 times stronger than roasted! You can kind of wing this recipe -- everything can be adjusted to your tastes. The original recipe at NXNW uses goat cheese in the spread, but that's a whole lotta flavor going on; I prefer the plain.
Remove just the outer skins of the garlic bulbs. With a knife, trim the bottom of the bulb to make a flat base. Cut about 3/4 inch from the top of the bulb also -- just enough to remove the most papery parts and expose the inside of each clove a little. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over each bulb. Wait a few minutes for the oil to absorb fully, and then repeat the process.
Roast the bulbs for about an hour in a preheated 400-degree oven; I like to put mine in a shallow baking dish lined with foil for easy clean-up. Keep an eye on them, as bulb sizes and ovens vary -- you will know the bulbs are ready when the individual cloves begin to pop up and out.
Remove the bulbs and let them cool for a few minutes. Using a towel, hold each one by its base and squeeze the cloves out into a dish. Mash the cloves a little with a fork. Spread cream cheese on each piece of baguette, then top with a smear of the garlic paste. Top with pepper to taste.
About the ingredients: I wouldn't recommend using a flavored rum, even though that Cabana Boy stuff cracks me up and I want to buy it just for the bottle. Get a white rum so the other flavors come through. The mint can be found at the herb section of the produce department at the market. It will come in a bunch (like cilantro) or in a little flat package already in sprigs. Make sure the leaves look clean and not brown or too shriveled. The simple syrup can be substituted with plain granulated sugar -- in an absolute pinch. The syrup makes the drink taste much better; recipe follows. The best ice to use is shaved ice, but who the hell has that sitting around? Sorry, my Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine is broken. Cubes are fine for at home.
Directions:
In a high-ball glass, layer the leaves from three sprigs of mint. Cover the leaves with two teaspoons of simple syrup (or, three teaspoons of sugar). Squeeze in the juice of half a lime.
1.5. [optional] Nuke the Limes.
Anna Beth read somewhere that you get more juice out of a lemon or lime if you microwave it for a couple of seconds, so that all the little juicy capsules inside pop. This is a great idea in theory -- in execution, we had learned that if you push 60 seconds by accident and then forget the lime because you are typing a marathon of e-mail responses, it will, in fact, explode and pop and get hissy.
2. Muddle!
If you had a pestle, you could use one. But since you aren't the Esteemed Dr. Elijah Farnsworthy, Druggist Extraordinaire, you can use any kitchen tool with a broad flat head and some heft (At Gramm's house I used his ice cream scoop; at AB's we used her meat tenderizer). Put your faux pestle down in the glass and muddle the mixture: gently squoosh it around a bit so the flavors mix and the mint leaves become bruised. If you use granulated sugar, which you shouldn't, this will help to pulverize it and release the sweet.
3. The Wrap-Up
Fill the glass with ice. Add 1 - 2 ounces of rum. Fill the glass with soda. Stir gently to bring up the flavor from the bottom.
4. Adjust for taste.
Usually the first taste is a bit tart and off-putting. The mint and sugar needs to breathe a little -- in a few minutes it will be the Cocktail of Goodness when the flavors all mingle. But, AB and I couldn't wait for all that, so we did a little finishing off by adding another wedge of lime for garnish, and a wee bit more syrup for sweet, and stirring again.
5. [optional] Eat the Salad, Anna Beth-Style.
After finishing your lovely mojito, you can fish out chunks of mint and lime and just eat them with your bare hands. Also, you can do this to other people's mojitos too -- though it might be best to make sure you know them first.
Because it is liquefied, it makes anything instantly sweet. Great for beverages -- common for cocktails, just ask Martha.
2 parts sugar to 1 part water
Stir on medium heat in small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; turn down heat and continue stirring till sugar is dissolved. May be stored in the fridge for a long long time. We did two cups of sugar to one cup of water which was waaaaayy more than necessary -- half would have been fine. I think traditionally the recipe is 1:1.
O'Brian's / O'Brien's Potato Casserole
Mmmmm... just perfect for the holidays. Can be made in advance -- in fact, this would be the perfect "tragedy casserole."
I know the cornflakes seem odd, but they stay nice and crunchy during the baking -- I know someone who uses bread crumbs as a topping instead. You can substitute just fine -- it just makes the texture a bit different. Also, I like to sauté the onions a little before mixing them in; it's a matter of taste, if you want softer onions with a milder flavor.
Topping:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13-inch baking dish. Place potatoes in bottom of prepared dish.
Combine the 1/2 cup butter, condensed soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and onion; mix well and pour over potatoes. (I like to use a large spoon or spatula to turn the mixture completely and fold the cheese all through, lest the potatoes on the bottom of the dish stay dry and un-cheesy).
Top with crushed corn flakes and drizzle with 1/2 cup melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.
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